Unrequited
by andrastaie
Summary: Four times James Vega wanted to kiss Elara Shepard… and one time she kissed him.
1. Purgatory

Two giddy soldiers skittered off, rejoining their friends and chattering up a storm with their newly acquired drinks. Elara gave a short chuckle, sliding up next to James at the bar and leaning forward. He shifted, ever so slightly, to allow her room next to him.

"You know," she drawled out. "I am damn lucky to have you around, James."

His breath caught a moment and he slowly shifted his gaze toward her. He forced a sharp intake of breath to refocus, quirking a brow at her. One swig of his drink and he had his voice again. "Is that so?"

"Mmm," she flashed a grin. Draining her glass, she set it on the bar and draped one arm over his shoulders. ""Who else can I trust to keep me grounded?"

James tried, tried so hard, not to tense under her carefree touch. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, reminding himself to keep breathing. In and out. In and out. Steady. Keep it cool. In the midst of it all, he managed a slight shrug.

"That's what I'm here for, Lola," he joked.

Elara shifted her arm off his back - much to James' great relief - to order another drink. Yet as the drink arrived, matters just got worse. She wrapped her arm around his, leaning against his shoulder with a content sigh. _She really is testing me, isn't she? Dammit._ He shifted on his feet, though took care not to disturb her too much.

The urge to kiss her surged in his gut. She looked content, peaceful for a change and dammit he wanted something _really_ special to remember this moment. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. As much as his body screamed at him in protest, he tamped the desires down enough to just grin and keep quiet. Tipping his head just enough to rest gently against hers.


	2. Docks

James felt his arms starting to get just a tiny bit sore. Only a little. He was tense, flexing as Elara rocked back and forth on her heels in front of him. Amusement was clear on her face as she watched the artist work. Sweat was also beginning to bead on his brow, just one more tell tale sign to his weakening resolve around his insufferable commander. Insufferable in all the right ways, of course.

The excitement of the moment, proclaiming his 'official' acceptance into the N7 program, had faded away into an awkward silence. James, himself, was at a loss for words. Eager for her to leave so he could relax his tense body, yet also craving her to sway just a bit closer. Only a little. Just enough. _Dammit_.

"You know that's gonna sting for a few days," she drawled out. Her lips quirked upward in a smirk. "You gonna be ready for duty, Lieutenant?"

The way she said his rank nearly pushed him over the edge. He tamped down on the shiver that threatened to rack his body. He swallowed the forming lump in his throat, pushing himself toward a calmer place.

"Always." _Good start_ , he told himself. And, before he could censor his brain to keep up the trend, he added: "Hey, maybe we should get matching?" _Well, shit._

Two brows shot up as Elara paused in her idle rocking. "You want me to get an N7 tattoo?" She was incredulous, that much was clear in her voice. More sweat beaded against his brow as he played it off, a smug grin turning the corners of his mouth upward.

"N7… sure. _Or_ ," he started, slowly. His heart began to race, thumping loudly against his chest as he swallowed yet another lump forming in his throat. No time for thoughts now, only words. "You could get my name done… somewhere special."

The look of incredulity on Elara's _beautiful_ face changed, morphing into something he could not quite identify. Not at first, not until the smirk returned. She set her hands on her hips, chuckling and shaking her head.

"You are such a tease, Vega."

He inhaled a slow, deep breath and blinked away the sweat that was beginning to roll into his eyes.

"Who me?"

His eyes had landed on her lips, watching and staring as the smug grin on her face wavered with each bout of laughter. Goddamn did he want to know what those lips felt like, what that mouth of hers _tasted like_. But she was speaking again, words spilling out with a chuckle.

"You ever gonna make good on all this flirting?"

The husky undertone in her voice drove him mad and if not for the art being done across his back, James was not certain he could contain his urge to lunge for her. To pin her against the nearest wall and explore every _inch_ of her gorgeous body. _Fuck, she's expecting you to say something. Say anything!_

"Uhh… I was just," he stammered. His arms began to relax as he lost what little composure he'd possessed. "I didn't mean to… you know, I was just…" Of course, he did mean it, but he also knew better. Knew her preference, knew he could just paint a target on his back now for Garrus to hit on the next mission if he ever let it slip he was _serious_.

Elara let out one more short laugh, shaking her head. "Uh-huh. That's what I thought." The smugness in her tone drove him crazy, almost as much as the teasing. " _Later_ , Lieutenant."

He swallowed thickly, his voice heavy and difficult to find in his embarrassment. "Later…"


	3. Workout

"What the hell? No way." If he didn't know better, he'd swear he'd need to pick his jaw up off the floor. "You've been holding out on me!" he called back out to Elara.

The approach of his commander was all but drowned out as he immediately put the punching bag to good use. He only skimmed the room once, unconcerned with anything else at this point. There was a sweet ass set up here and she hadn't even shared!

"Oh, man, this is sweet." He quipped, striking two more punches before he heard Elara clear her throat. He paused, turning around and offering her his best impression of a puppy. "Come on! Let me just use it for a bit."

She was chuckling, shaking her head as she leaned up against the door frame for the closet. "So much for helping Steve, huh?"

James waved her off, diving back in for another couple punches. It wasn't until there was distinct movement to his left that he withdrew his attention again. Arms still raised in a ready stance, his brows lifted in both surprise and interest.

"Look at you," he grinned. Elara dangled from the bar in the closet doorway, having just done a pullup. His grin shifted into a smirk when she shot him a 'don't give me that shit' look. It sent a flutter in his gut, the urge to whisk her off that bar and back into the wall of the closet for a very different kind of work out grew all the more powerful.

James took a steadying breath, turning back his focus on the punching bag in front of him. "You know," he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "My record is 182. You think you can beat it?"

"Why Lieutenant, is that a challenge?"

"You know it!"

"You're on then."

James resumed his impromptu workout, smirking at the tone of Elara's voice. That determination, that same stern voice she barked orders with. That same confidence. _Ay dios_ did he want to kiss her. Nostrils flared, he focused on using the punching bag in front of him as an outlet.

For the duration, he watched her from the corner of his eye. Counting, ever counting, and keeping track. James paused only a couple times, taunting and tossing out comments as she drew closer. When 150 rolled around, he thought she was done. The hesitance in her movement, the strain he could see in the muscles of her arms.

He inhaled a sharp breath to avoid a shiver at the direction his thoughts were diving toward. _No, keep counting._ Elara regained herself, pressing forward and by 180 James completely stopped. Turning, he watched, slack jawed, as she hauled herself up to 183.

"Holy hell." He swallowed his surprise and grinned. "You did it!" James shook his head, still flabbergasted. "I… I don't know what to say." He tipped his head. "How you feeling?" If he didn't know better, she looked about ready to fall over.

Elara grunted, her arms hanging loosely at her sides. "Like I need to try out that hot tub…" A short snort of a laugh slipped past those soft-looking lips of hers. "And like I might need help pulling on my armor next time."

James chuckled, forcing the sound out as normal as possible. "No doubt," he agreed. "That was loco." He paused, then grinned smugly at her. "Don't suppose you need any of that help now?"

"Tease," she growled, her lips curving ever so slightly in a playful smirk.

He shrugged, his fingers twitching at his sides as he watched her. The sheen of sweat that covered her brow, the heavy rise and fall of her chest, that look she was giving him. It was almost as if she was _daring_ him to try something.

"I… I should probably go. Esteban still wanted my help."

She waved him off and, slowly, he turned and headed out. Just reaching the door of the apartment when he heard the loud groan and thump as she, presumably, collapsed on the bed. Chuckling to himself, James headed out and back toward the shuttle to the Normandy.


	4. Casino

James leaned up against the bar on the upper level of the casino. It was not so energetic as Purgatory, but the liquor still tasted decent enough to make up for it. More than anything, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Dressed down in his typical garb he preferred about the Normandy, he was generally unconcerned with the stray sneers or eye rolls in his direction.

As luck would have it, he did not stay any sort of attention center for long. A small gathering formed by the dance floor, hushed voices commenting on two particular dancers. His view from the bar was obstructed, difficult to make out the shapes from where he was. Yet, James found himself intrigued. Anything that got _this_ much attention from the crowd had to be worth a look.

Pushing off the bar and sauntering toward the growing group, one brow jerked upward in surprise. Closer inspection revealed a human-turian pair. And a very familiar one at that. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. The sight was quite unexpected, especially given the rumors he'd heard of Elara's… odd dancing habits.

He moved through the audience with relative ease, crossing his arms across his chest once he reached the front row. James swallowed the growing lump in his throat, shifting ever so slightly in his discomfort of the growing sensations zipping through his body.

Yet in spite of it all, he gave an unashamed rake of his eyes across her body. Taking in the fact that she was wearing _that_ dress. The one he'd only recently been able to clear from his mind's eye. The image of her dripping wet; the fabric hugging each and every curve of her body and leaving very little to the imagination. The mix of water, sweat, and blood that had made the sight all the more alluring when he'd first seen her after her little… incident.

James clenched his jaw, arms flexing as he tried every possible way to ground himself and keep his cool. It didn't take long to realize she'd taken note of him. A devious glint in her eye as she spun away from Garrus, and right at _him_. He sucked in a sharp breath through his nostrils. At this distance, this painfully close distance, he easily caught a whiff of the essence that was distinctly Elara Shepard. That was _Lola_.

There was a smugness in the grin she gave him, a teasing invitation for him to try something. Anything. And God help him, was he tempted. Tempted to join the intricate dance, to take over the dance. To just pull her close and kiss her until she couldn't breathe. But rather than words, rather than action, a strangled sound of interest clawed it's way up from his throat.

And all too soon the moment passed. Fluttering by as Garrus outstretched his arm to pull Elara back in close to him. James felt his stomach flip, his breath hitch as the dance drew to its conclusion. He turned, slipping away from the spectacle, down the stairs and out of the casino. He needed to find a place alone to relieve the ever building tension. Preferably before it drew him to do something utterly _loco_.


	5. Earth

Earth. They were back, home even. Yet it was not at all how James envisioned, what he expected. It was worse. Much worse. A sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach as he listened to the commotion around them. He worked to keep his cool, fiddling with his weapons as he waited for marching orders from the Commander.

When she approached him, he jerked his head up, standing and smiling to her. She looked weary, worn down and tired but as stubborn and determined as ever. His smile grew just a little more at the thought. They couldn't lose. Not with Lola.

"You have come a long way since this all started, James." She provided a smile for him, a small and delicate thing. "You're one of the best and I am proud…" her voice hitched, a strained moment where words didn't quite form. " _So_ proud to say I served with you."

Elara leaned close, placing one hand on his cheek and James felt his heart skip a beat. She pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek, pulling away just enough to rest her forehead against his temple. Her breath against his skin came slow, a warm comfort against the maelstrom raging around them.

"And I am damn proud to call you a friend."

She stared to pull away, James turned his head to her. Elara hesitated, looking down a fraction of a second before meeting his gaze again. In her eyes James saw again the worry mixed with determination… and something quite akin to love. His heart fluttered when she cupped his cheek gently.

"No matter what happens, James, remember I'll always be watching out for you."

He closed his eyes, gently gripping the wrist of her hand. A moment later, he opened his them and caught the weary, near-resigned look she wore. But when he blinked, it was gone; the small smile having returned. That charming twinkle peaking through the depths of her stress.

"Right back at ya, Lola."

He released her hand as she dropped it from his cheek. He expected that to be it, done, but she quickly pulled him into a hug. A strong, desperate feeling behind it. Without hesitation, James wrapped his arms around her in a strong embrace. He inhaled deeply, savoring every moment and committing every last bit of information to his memory. James held no illusions about the future, about what was to come. He knew Elara too well to expect any less than her all to this cause. And James would give no less than her. Not ever.

"I'm with you," he murmured against her armor. "Till the end."


End file.
